Song reviews

Following the casual indie pop groove is the action plan for Alas The Sun and their song “You and Your Love” duly worms its way into your affections with laidback puppy dog charm and downbeat lyrics. Rather pleasing to the ear.

Whilst robotically perfect in the rhythm department, “Totally Faking” also shows that Salt Ashes has something organic to display in her shop window even throwing in a guitar solo to crank up your ear enthusiasm. It’s an approach that works rather well.

This one sounds angry. Rectangular math rock tends to do just that and TRAPS duly kick the angst up and down an eight minute street littered with the corpses of overdriven guitar riffs and bang it until it hurts drums. Their song “Cyborg” is coming to get you.

There is always a place for retro worship on the dancefloor and, duly, Sweetwood’s song “One and Only Lover” locks it to the clock of days gone by whilst adding enough love for the era to make it all worthwhile to your ears.

Old school and organic, Arsun walk the walk and talk the talk of the songwriter on the cusp of rock greatness with just enough country to get him (or them) a gig on the west coast. “Dead Sixty-Six” is a song that cries out for airplay in a top down Thunderbird.

Man of the Minch goes a bit country with “Undertow” yet he has not forgotten that it is all in the song. Throwing in a bit of fiddle reminds us that he has folk roots but, as I said but a few words ago, it is all in the song and this is a convincing song.

Infusing “Entrance” with hypnotic rhythms looped from the dancefloor, Anita Ramona drifts dreamily through her song like some mystical post midnight princess on a mission to make it to the dawn with her heart unbroken.

Pleasingly commercial, “Gunshot” is a fine example of the modern day pop song and it might well give Claire Ridgely the exposure she deserves. Sharp lyrics and rhythmic presentation put the song right into your memory.

Can’t say that I have any familiarity with the previous works of Alice Zawadski but “Within You” has, at the very least, made me curious. The song hits the seven minute mark yet the intelligent mix of elegance and poetic abstraction make the time just flow by.

Treading the electro retro path are Inbetween Movies and their song “Lava” duly evokes memories of days gone by. Wistful female vocals and old school analogue synth pretensions highlight the melancholy of past glories.

Throwing in enough Americana influences to tick the summer style boxes is Orbo with his song “Fine” nonetheless being the product of maturity and purpose rather than simply being just another advert for future roots festival bookings.

Putting traditional words to new music isn’t an uncommon occurrence but when such a thing is done with heart and soul, the results can be captivating and so it proved to be in the case of “The Maiden’s Vow” by Holly Tomás. Really rather beautiful.